Novo Nordisk Foundation CBMR's €4M EIC Pathfinder project, ‘GLUCOTYPES’

Led by the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research at the University of Copenhagen, the GLUCOTYPES project was awarded €4 million in the 2023 EIC Pathfinder Challenge Call, ‘Precision Nutrition’. The project promises significant societal, economic, and environmental benefits in the EU and worldwide. Learn more below and read what Project Coordinator Dr. Jordi Merino (Associate Professor, University of Copenhagen) said about GLUCOTYPES and Catalyze’s support towards this success.

Pictured: Dr. Jordi Merino (Associate Professor, University of Copenhagen)

EIC Pathfinder Challenge: Precision Nutrition

GLUCOTYPES was awarded under the 2023 EIC Pathfinder Challenge Call on ‘Precision Nutrition’, which aims to explore the complex relationships between diet, the human gut microbiome, and glycans to understand their role in Food-related Health Conditions (FrHCs) and Noncommunicable Chronic Diseases (NCDs). This multidisciplinary research initiative seeks to identify the dietary components and patterns that impact human health, focusing on targeted nutritional advice based on individual characteristics.

GLUCOTYPES: revolutionising precision nutrition in diabetes

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) has emerged as a global epidemic, impacting 1 in 10 people worldwide and causing over 114,000 deaths annually in Europe. The challenge of controlling this growing epidemic is in the diverse faces of the disease. People experience varying disease onset, progression, treatment response, and complication risk. GLUCOTYPES aims to revolutionise the field of precision nutrition in diabetes by generating knowledge in the distinct molecular mechanisms driving these many faces of the disease and exploring how diet can influence glucose control in each specific disease subform.

The project brings together leading experts in nutrition, metabolic diseases, glycobiology, gut microbiome, epidemiology, and machine learning from the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research at the University of Copenhagen (Project Leader), Weizmann Institute (IL), Maastricht University (NL), Universidad de Santiago de Compostela (ES), Leiden University Medical Center (NL), and International Life Science Institute Europe (BE).

Dr. Merino remarks on the consortium, “The GLUCOTYPES Consortium capitalises on advancements in wearable technologies, innovative perspectives on diabetes nosology, and breakthroughs in molecular biology and bioinformatics to bolster the foundation of evidence required for developing precision nutrition strategies in diabetes.”

GLUCOTYPES project objectives

GLUCOTYPES will use continuous glucose monitor data from non-diabetic individuals to identify early glycemic deviation patterns, or “glucotypes”. Cutting-edge molecular biology approaches will be used to characterize these glucotypes at the molecular level. Machine learning algorithms will be applied to investigate the intersection between diet and glucotypes on clinical outcomes and gain mechanistic insights into how diet and gut microbiome influence glucose homeostasis in specific glucotypes. This knowledge will inform a proof-of-concept precision nutrition clinical study to test the efficacy of a precision-based diet on cardiometabolic outcomes and identify markers of beneficial responses to diet.

Dr. Merino explains, “If successful, findings from this research application can come closer to understanding the divergent mechanisms that influence early glycaemic alterations and how specific diets could ameliorate these alterations. Our work will establish a foundational yet comprehensive scientific groundwork to inform future precision diabetes nutrition strategies to prevent the disease and improve the lives of all people affected.”

Applying to EIC Pathfinder with Catalyze’s support

The EIC Pathfinder is an extremely competitive funding programme, with 5-10% success rates. As a programme that provides 100% funding rates for academic organisations and companies working on early-stage research, it is no wonder that the total number of applications submitted to Open and Challenge calls surpasses the 1100-1200 mark every year.

Jordi highlights his experience of working with the Catalyze team:

“New to EU research, I spent most of my career in the US, I found the grant application process challenging. Our Catalyze consultant provided invaluable guidance, teaching me how to approach the application and organize the consortium. Our meetings focused on refining the research idea, implementation, and potential impact. They attended consortium meetings to ensure alignment. While I invested significant time in writing and assembling the application, I’m grateful for our consultant’s expertise and contributions.”

Read more about the project here